Mad Behavior
by RosyDoze
Summary: Takes place a few weeks post 14x10. Alex has to work for the night and Jo makes an interesting discovery while he's gone.


A/N: Hi! This is essentially my idea for how Jo and Alex move forward post 14x10. Basically, how they approach that awkward subject of the ring in the drawer (or, well, you'll see where I've stashed it in this fic.) Hope you enjoy!

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It happened on a rare night when Jo was home alone and Alex was at work. Being a resident, she had the busier days between them, although, more often than not, he would pick up extra shifts to be with her. She smiled at the thought that, just a few weeks back, he never would have gone into work and left her home alone. Although Alex never confessed to doing so, Jo knew that he switched shifts or bribed their friends into coming over so that she wouldn't have to be alone while they were in that anxious state between her filing for divorce and Paul showing up. She had actually appreciated it at the time. Nothing made her worry more than being away from her support system.

But now that they were safe and all of that was behind them, Jo was excited for an evening to herself. She planned on catching up on shows that Alex hated, curled up in bed with junk food and beer.

The only missing piece to her perfect night in was a sweatshirt. Specifically, Alex's sweatshirt. She had a special one in mind; it was a navy crewneck that she hadn't seen since he'd moved back in. It was both Jo's favorite sweatshirt to borrow and her favorite one to see him wear, which made sense because while it was tight and flattering on him, it was just the perfect amount of oversized for her to wear without feeling like she was swimming in it.

Jo could only imagine that it was still hidden in one of his suitcases; maybe he hadn't unpacked it yet because it was still summer when he'd first come home? But Jo didn't really need to overanalyze why Alex hadn't entirely unpacked. They were on the same page: they wanted to move to a place with a yard for a dog or two. And, without needing to speak about it, they knew that the next place they moved to would be the place they'd raise their family, which was why they were waiting until Jo got her fellowship offers and they had a better idea which time zone they'd be settling down in.

She'd already combed through their dressers and clothing racks, so all that was left were the suitcases and boxes under the bed. Realizing how ridiculous she was being, letting her beer get warm over a sweatshirt, she still crouched down on her knees and heaved the first suitcase out.

She was in luck! After sifting through a couple of t shirts and a few books, she found the crewneck wrapped up tightly at the bottom. Grinning at her victory, she shook it out, only to jolt at what fell out of it.

For a moment, she only stared at the black box. It could be anything, she told herself. Jo cringed at the way her heart leapt and her eyes watered at the thought that Alex would've held onto it for all this time, when she'd given him every reason not to. Already, she knew she would be heartbroken if she was wrong, if it wasn't _the_ box. If she opened it up to find earrings, or…a really tiny necklace.

No, there could only be one thing in that box. And the thought that she was _right,_ that was enough to make her reach out and see.

She inhaled sharply when her suspicions were confirmed. She couldn't help but stare at it.

The ring was beautiful. She had forgotten exactly how perfect it was, or maybe she had never fully allowed herself to look at it before.

Jo couldn't help herself; she took the ring out and turned it over, trying to find some kind of flaw. Hesitantly, like she was holding glass, she slid it down her finger. It even fit perfectly. She would've never thought that the Alex of a few years ago would have taken the steps to figure out her ring size. Maybe he hadn't. Maybe the ring was just the perfect fit.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the bed, content to fantasize for a little while about the day when she would never have to take the ring off. She allowed herself only a few more moments bliss before taking one last mental picture of it and putting the ring back in its box, telling herself that the next time she saw it, Alex would be holding it out to her.

That plan only lasted a week and a half. The next time Alex was away from the loft and she was home, it was for a guy's night at Jackson's. She held out for only one episode of _The Bold Type_ before caving and going for the suitcase again. This time, she allowed herself to keep the ring on while she made dinner. Then, a text from Alex snapped her out of it and she put it back.

The next time, it was a month later and Zola's school play that separated them. Jo's shift ended just late enough that she knew she would miss Zola's big part, so Meredith told her in no uncertain terms to skip it altogether and catch the next one. So, she had another night all to herself in the loft, which became another night of her taking out the ring and doing a yoga video with it.

The time after that, it was a Mariner's game and doing laundry with the ring.

The time after that, it was video games at Ben's and _Pitch Perfect 3_ with the ring.

The time after that, she got caught.

It had become a routine. She got home, made sure the coast was clear, double checked that Alex would be away that night, and went for the ring. She was careful, but she had also done this enough times that the ring no longer felt strange on her finger. Her skin no longer prickled, like she was doing something forbidden. It felt right. It felt necessary.

So she let herself relax. She rewatched _The Office._ She called Steph. She watched the beginning of a period movie that bored her more than she'd expected.

And Jo fell asleep within the first half hour of that movie.

Jo woke up to the sound of her laptop shutting off and Alex's warm, gentle hand touching her hair. "Mm, time 's it?" she asked with a husky voice.

"Shh, late enough that you can stay asleep. Sorry I woke you, but the movie was still going, no wonder you fell asleep, the sound of their voices is enough to sedate our patients."

"Hm, maybe yours, but only because they're really tiny – it doesn't take much," Jo said, curling into his chest and wrapping a hand around his broad shoulder.

She was happy when he didn't respond; she wasn't quite awake yet and now she could go back to sleep wrapped around him and tucked under the warm covers and it would be perfect…

Except Alex wasn't stroking her back like he usually did when they lay like this. In fact, he was quite frozen underneath her, and he didn't respond when she playfully poked him with her finger –

Oh God. Oh no, oh crap, oh holy shit –

"Oh my god, Alex, I am so sorry, I just found it, I didn't mean to –"

Now that she'd opened her eyes, she saw that his were completely trained on the ring on her finger. Like he'd never seen it before. Except he had, he'd gone to the jewelry store and picked it out and proposed three times but wait only twice with the ring but still way too many times with a negative answer to even begin to think of a way to broach this conversation even with the love of his life and now here she was and she looked –

Absolutely fucking perfect in it.

But also more than a little terrified.

"Jo, calm down, I'm – I'm just really surprised, I mean, half an hour ago I was talking about hydrocephalus with Robbins and now we're here and – and my ring is on your finger," He stopped talking abruptly and she wondered if he was also thinking how beautiful those last few words sounded.

After everything they'd gone through, this was what they'd fought for. But now that they'd made it, neither of them knew how to acknowledge their victory. Jo and Alex had been made for situations like the one they had faced with Paul. Uncomplicated happiness was somehow harder for them to adjust to.

"Jo –"

"Alex –"

They both grinned, suddenly and simultaneously shy and satisfied that, in the next moment, they were about to make each other very happy.

In the end, they didn't need to speak. Alex looked up and met Jo's eyes with a purposeful stare and, ever so slightly, lifted his eyebrows in question. Jo, her eyes shining, nodded her head and, in case that wasn't enough to assuage the tiny prickle of doubt in Alex's mind, she whispered brokenly: "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes," into his ear, his cheek, his neck, his eyes, and, finally, his lips. Then, she kissed him.

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I've loved Jolex for a long time but this is the first time that the writing bug bit me with this couple. I've written a lot for other fandoms before but since it's my first Grey's fic, I'd love some feedback on this. Also, let me know if you've got more ideas for me to write! Thanks for reading!


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